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1
Combine shiratamako and joshinko in a bowl. Add water in small increments, mixing between additions, until the dough coheres into a single mass. Work only until the surface is smooth and moist — do not knead further. The dough is ready when it holds together without cracking and the surface carries a faint sheen.
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2
Divide the dough into portions of approximately 20 g each. Roll each portion between the palms into a uniform sphere. Skewer three to five dango per bamboo skewer.
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3
Bring a generous volume of lightly salted water to a full boil. Lower the dango into the water. Boil until each dumpling rises to the surface — typically 2–3 minutes — then continue boiling for a further 30 seconds. The dango are done when they feel uniform to the touch, with no detectable hard centre.
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4
Immediately transfer the cooked dango to cold water. Hold them there until the surface is cool and taut. This step arrests cooking and produces the glossy surface that defines properly finished dango; dumplings left to cool in air become sticky and dull.
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5
For mitarashi dango: grill or toast the boiled dumplings over direct heat until the surface shows light scorch marks in the style of the Kamo-mioya Shrine original — small, slightly darkened patches. This is where the dish lives or dies: the scorched surface provides the faint bitterness that balances the sweet-savoury glaze; without it the dango are merely plain boiled dumplings.
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6
Combine soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and 100 ml water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the katakuriko slurry gradually, stirring continuously, until the glaze thickens and turns glossy. Apply the hot glaze directly to the freshly grilled dango. The glaze coats properly only when both glaze and dango are hot; contact with cooled dumplings prevents adhesion.